Sushmita Pathak is a multimedia editor at Scientific American and a producer of Science Quickly. She previously worked at NPR and was a regular contributor to The World from PRX and The Christian Science Monitor. Her science reporting has appeared in WIRED, Science Magazine, Undark, EOS, and more.
Organic molecules on Mars, good news about suicide hotline, the AI voice clone advantage
What NASA’s Curiosity Rover found on Mars, how youth suicides dropped after the launch of the 988 crisis line, and what people think of AI voice clones
Amid climate doom, here’s an Earth Day reminder about spectacular environmental wins
This Earth Day three environmental experts share stories about times when environmental action succeeded in saving the planet—and explain why this can be done again
The dinosaurs at your window: How birds survived the asteroid that killed all other dinosaurs
How a few unique traits helped modern-style birds—the last living dinosaurs—survive the asteroid apocalypse that took out T. rex and other mighty beasts
The fans who went from collecting Pokémon to studying bugs and fossils
As Pokémon turns 30, we take a look at how the beloved Japanese kids’ franchise was inspired by—and has shaped—real-world science
Artemis proves NASA can return to the moon. Now comes the hard question: Why?
Artemis II’s safe return from lunar orbit sparks a debate over the costs, climate effects and long‑term value of going back to the moon
NASA’s Artemis II nears the moon, oil trumps endangered species, snowpack plummets
An update on NASA’s historic moon mission, alarm over the low snowpack in the western U.S. and a move that could endanger wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico
NASA’s Artemis II mission sends astronauts—and an upgraded space toilet—around the moon
Artemis II blasts off on a high‑stakes lunar flyby, marking NASA’s first crewed mission to the moon in decades
The chin is an evolutionary puzzle. Researchers may have finally solved it
Humans are the only species that has chins. A recent study sheds light on how that came to be and why evolution doesn’t always follow the rules
Spring heat, a blow to RFK, Jr.’s vaccine policy, lead in kids’ clothes
An unseasonal heat dome over parts of the U.S., a federal court ruling that blocks the CDC’s recent change to its recommended childhood vaccine schedule, new research on unsafe levels of lead in fast fashion
Weight loss was just the beginning: How the GLP-1 story is evolving
“Imitation” drugs, unexpected benefits, serious pitfalls—here’s what comes next as GLP-1 medications continue to rise in popularity
The dark roots of RFK, Jr.’s public health ideology
How Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s ideas about public health—from vaccines to seed oils—are shaping Americans’ health
U.S. measles cases surge, AI powers wars, global warming is in a hurry
Why measles cases are rising in the U.S., how artificial intelligence is shaping warfare, and what accelerated global warming means for the world
The BBC tech journalist who achieved hot dog eating glory—by hacking AI
BBC tech journalist Thomas Germain’s simple—and hilarious—experiment exposes a serious flaw in common artificial intelligence tools
Women’s heart health worsens, NASA announces Artemis update, researchers solve reindeer antler mystery
What a worrying forecast says about women’s heart health, what’s happening with NASA’s Artemis II moon mission and why female reindeer have antlers
We all know ice is slippery. The physics behind it is more complex than you’d think
The reason we slip and slide on ice—a phenomenon central to figure skating, curling and other Winter Olympic events—is a centuries-old physics mystery that may have finally been cracked
Trump guts climate policy, polar vortex disrupts winter, and Olympic ‘Penisgate’ rumors fly
We take a look at President Trump’s decision to reject a landmark climate finding, the cause of an unusual winter in the U.S. and the physics behind a bizarre ski jumping scandal
A kiss is a tender act of love. How it originated remains a mystery
Why the simple act of kissing—which can be traced back 21.5 million years—continues to confound evolutionary biologists
Some people experience an inability to burp. An expert who treats this little-known disorder explains why
For those with retrograde cricopharyngeus dysfunction, daily life can be miserable, with symptoms such as bloating and chest pain. But a simple Botox injection can help
AI illuminates DNA’s ‘dark matter,’ doctors make artificial lungs, and a lipstick vine defies evolution
How a new AI model could help us better understand noncoding DNA, how doctors kept a man alive without lungs for two days, and what a peculiar flower can teach us about evolution
Eat more garlic to smell attractive? The surprising ways diet can shape your body scent
Beneath fancy perfumes and deodorants, our food choices may be quietly shaping our natural scent in unexpected ways
NASA gears up for a historic lunar flyby, AI gives stroke patients hope, and researchers discover the oldest known cave art
What’s on the road to the launch of NASA’s Artemis II, how scientists are using artificial intelligence to help stroke patients speak, and what an Indonesian cave art discovery says about early human migration
Could a smudge of DNA help unlock Leonardo da Vinci’s genius? A forensic scientist explains
Researchers are using cutting‑edge DNA techniques to hunt for genetic evidence in centuries‑old artworks in an effort to better understand the genius of Leonardo da Vinci
EPA’s pollution rule change worries experts, cancer survival hits milestone, and astronauts evacuate the ISS
Why the EPA’s air pollution rule change could make the air dirtier, how cancer survival hit a record-high, and what we know about the first-ever medical evacuation from the International Space Station
How Seed Oils Became Controversial—And What the Science Really Says
A food scientist debunks the vilification of seed oils on social media and explains what research says about them.